Angel at Dusk

About

In "Angel at Dusk" , a punishing shmup set in a far-off future, players must shoot, dodge, and destroy enemies in an apocalyptic world reawakened to primal desires. With a focus on challenging gameplay and minimalistic design, players gather power-ups by tackling enemies at close range, offering a thrilling experience that hearkens back to the genre's origins. The story explores a world where humanity has transcended to angeldom, leaving behind a paradise for angels as the sun expands and twilight engulfs the realm.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+12

97%

Audience ScoreBased on 314 reviews

gameplay34 positive mentions

grinding14 negative mentions

The game features an excellent tutorial that effectively introduces both newcomers and veterans to the shmup genre, making it highly accessible.
Angel at Dusk boasts a unique and visually striking art style, combined with a compelling and grotesque atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
The gameplay is addictive and rewarding, with mechanics that encourage aggressive play and a variety of modes that provide hours of content.

The Chronicle mode can become repetitive and grindy, requiring players to complete monotonous tasks to progress, which may frustrate some users.
The screen can get cluttered with too many visual effects, making it difficult to track the player's ship and incoming projectiles during intense moments.
Some players have reported issues with the game's performance on certain platforms, such as the Steam Deck, where it can become unresponsive or stuck on loading screens.

gameplay
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
52%
4%
The gameplay is characterized by its addictive mechanics, rewarding players for aggressive strategies and skillful play, while also providing a forgiving experience for newcomers to the bullet hell genre. With unique ship upgrades, engaging tutorials, and a variety of modes, it offers a solid entry point for beginners, though some players note a tendency towards repetitive gameplay. Overall, the game combines beautiful visuals, well-thought-out mechanics, and a satisfying progression system, making it a noteworthy addition to the shmup genre.
- “The gameplay loop is really addictive in a sense that it rewards the player for playing well by constantly morphing the living ship into a stronger form. I can look past the whole 'my player ship is too darn big and I can't see anything' because the trade-off for absolute power puts a smile on my face.”
- “The game does a fantastic job through its gameplay to teach you to stay on the offensive and has a bunch of mechanics centered around rewarding aggressive strategies.”
- “Hugely satisfying gameplay with a unique feel, look, and sound.”
- “Going back to the problem of repetitive gameplay, this is the primary reason why I do not recommend this game unless you are a shmupper, and even if you are a die-hard shmup machine, surely there are better shmups to play.”
- “While this game has done a decent job at creating a shmup game that retains players and invites new players to the genre, it still was not able to overcome the problem of simplistic, monotonous, basic gameplay that plagues what could have been a great game mode.”
- “Meat of the gameplay is between a couple of modes, your standard arcade mode affair with three different campaigns, but you'll only have access to one at the start.”
graphics
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
50%
5%
The graphics of "Angel at Dusk" are described as a unique and grotesque blend of Giger-esque artwork and chaotic visuals that may not appeal to everyone, but are praised for their distinctiveness and charm, especially during the spooky season. While some reviews highlight the game's beautiful aesthetics and high-quality visuals, others criticize the clarity and hitbox issues. Overall, the art style is a significant draw for players, contributing to the game's engaging atmosphere and gameplay experience.
- “Angel at dusk is respectable in its difficulty scaling and winning in its visuals whether on the forefront of the screen or in the distance.”
- “The visuals are grotesquely mesmerizing, and the music is all over the place (from classically inspired to heavy metal, to synth) in all the best ways.”
- “To say nothing of the game's aesthetics, which are stellar, this is clearly a passion project by a skilled dev obsessed with the genre and it oozes thought and style.”
- “People compare/associate this game to Scorn in terms of design and story, but I think it's a little better in both departments with the exception of graphics and horror.”
- “Angel at dusk laughs in the face of hyper-realistic graphics and dumbed-down difficulty, with what appear to be vector images of sexualized eldritch crab people barraging the player with bone-covered hot dogs.”
- “I like that myself, but if you don't then there's options to adjust the graphics to make things more clear.”
story
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
70%
6%
The game's story is surprisingly deep and expansive, featuring a rich lore that unfolds as players progress through various modes, including Chronicle and Arcade. While some players find the narrative compelling and appreciate its philosophical undertones, others feel that the story is secondary to the gameplay experience. Overall, the art direction and humor in the storytelling enhance the game's appeal, making it a noteworthy aspect despite some criticisms regarding clarity and transition between modes.
- “The story of the game is actually interesting and expansive since every stage you clear will give you more context, but your first run through the game gives you these essential bullet points anyway.”
- “Chronicle mode and arcade mode have notes for every stage, adding to something insane like 177 story notes altogether.”
- “The only shortcoming here is that there lacks an in-game explanation of guiding the player from tutorials to original to chronicle mode, which affects the smooth transition and player experience. It took me a while to figure out that story mode can also be played from original mode with custom weapons, which means difficulty becomes redundant if you have higher stats and gear.”
- “It's rare for me to dive deep and find out what the story is of any shmup unless I really like it.”
- “For this kind of game, the story should be irrelevant, and yet this one is quite profound and explores philosophical concepts (think 'Evangelion', but more straightforward).”
music
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
52%
6%
The music in the game is widely praised for its variety and quality, ranging from classical influences to heavy metal and synth, creating a unique and immersive experience that complements the gameplay. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, noting its thematic fit and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, making it a significant draw for fans of the genre. Overall, the music is described as remarkable, with many expressing a strong appreciation for its creativity and the effort put into it.
- “The visuals are grotesquely mesmerizing, and the music is all over the place (from classically inspired to heavy metal, to synth) in all the best ways.”
- “The music is also varied and, quite frankly, immaculate.”
- “A brilliant addition to the shmup genre, this game isn't only visually striking with its nightmarish presentation, but it's also packing plenty of content, unique system mechanics, unlockables, multiple difficulty options, great moment to moment action-oriented gameplay and a killer soundtrack.”
- “The music is bizarre, sounding more like a spaghetti western than a post-apocalyptic corrupted planet.”
- “The soundtrack isn't gonna land in my favorites, but it feels incredibly fitting and thematic, so it's not getting muted either.”
- “The 1st music track is a quiet one and yet it suits the frantic action on screen.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently criticized for being excessively repetitive and unbalanced, particularly in the roguelike mode that players must complete to unlock additional content. While some find the leveling system enjoyable, many agree that the grind detracts from the overall experience, making progression feel tedious and frustrating. Despite the fun mechanics, the grind can overshadow the game's strengths, leading to mixed feelings among players.
- “In order to unlock all the arcade stages, you have to complete this horribly repetitive and grindy roguelike mode, which kind of wrecks the game.”
- “Commits the sin of hiding an entire arcade campaign behind progression through the unbalanced and grindy chronicle mode.”
- “Original mode is kind of grindy and lengthy, with some weapons being way better than others. It can be a bit grindy to unlock all the 'ships' too since you might end up having to farm for blue cells for some.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by its tongue-in-cheek narration and over-the-top gore, featuring amusingly named bosses and a playful tone throughout. While the humor is engaging, players note that it can become repetitive after a few hours, particularly as they become familiar with the content. The tutorials are also highlighted for their entertaining and informative writing, making the game accessible to newcomers.
- “I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek humor of the narration and story as well.”
- “Very suited to genre beginners thanks to its two very complete, motivating, and hilariously written tutorials (that also go into detail about the philosophy of shmups, it was very interesting for me) and very manageable default difficulty level.”
- “This game feels like jumping a generation for his 'galshell' series, which is also a hilariously over-the-top gore fest with vaguely sexy monster women.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game has mixed reviews regarding replayability; while some players find it lacking in this area, others highlight its solid mechanics, engaging story, and appealing art, suggesting it offers significant replay value, especially for genre enthusiasts. Overall, it may be worth considering at a discount.
- “Cool art, tight controls, solid mechanics, lots of replay value.”
- “From story line, to graphics, to music, and high replay value.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of "Angel at Dusk" is characterized by its striking visuals and a grotesque design that creates a thought-provoking and mesmerizing experience. Users find the unique style both fascinating and unsettling, contributing to the game's distinctive ambiance.
- “Angel at Dusk is an incredible looking shmup with an equally fascinating, yet disgusting style that brings out a unique atmosphere. The grotesque design is thought-provoking as much as it is mesmerizing.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally engaging due to its challenging arcade mechanics that encourage continuous improvement, combined with a captivating visual aesthetic that resonates deeply with their emotions.
- “It's got the challenge of an arcade that keeps a person improving upon play, and the awesome visual aesthetic that charms one's finer emotional brain.”

Buy Angel at Dusk

Angel at Dusk
$14.99
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Angel at Dusk

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